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Class rings remain a high school tradition

Staff photo by Richard O Jones Hamilton High School student Dwayne Weber said he took a summer job to earn the money to pay for his class ring.

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By Richard O Jones, Staff Writer 11:01 PM Friday, November 6, 2009

HAMILTON — While many families are cutting back on expenses in the current economic climate, some traditions seem to be recession-proof.

Class rings, for instance, are a time-honored tradition for high school graduates, and those that are inclined to buy one are buying them — though they may be trimming the expense with fewer features or alternatives to gold and silver.

Hamilton High School student Dwayne Weber said last week that even though his family didn’t have the money to buy a class ring, he wanted one badly enough that he spent the summer earning the $240 he paid for one at a local jeweler.

“I think the kids still want them,” said Jeff Tanner, a sales representative for Jostens, one of the leading purveyors of class rings. Rich Stoebe, Jostens’ director of communications, said the company has been “very pleased” with its sales for the last two years, but would not release specific numbers.

“We find that buying a class ring is a tradition for many families and many schools and that people value the tradition enough to continue purchasing class rings,” Stoebe said.

Jostens has responded to the current economy by introducing “middle-tier metal combinations” to make sure that whatever a student’s budget, there would be a class ring available.

“The cost of a class ring starts at around $70 for nonprecious metals,” Stoebe said, “and we offer different price points based primarily on the metal of choice. We’ve seen a lot of interest in the midrange of rings with combination metals.”

That, he said, is a strategy that Jostens, which started selling class rings in the early 1920s, first introduced during the Great Depression to help make rings more affordable.

“Obviously, we feel very strongly about tradition and the symbolism of connecting students to their schools,” Stoebe said.

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2188 or rjones@coxohio.com.

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this article is so true!! LWHS class of '03, to this day that class ring has never left my finger. Go FIREBIRDS!! :o)

tara
12:00 PM, 11/8/2009

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I wish I still had my class ring. I lost it in Florida years ago. And have always wished I could get it replaced. The class ring would have been something I could have passed on to my older daughter as she graduated from the same school I did. Traditions are nice to have in this day and age when everything is just busy all the time.

Cindy
10:26 AM, 11/8/2009

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Class rings are the one thing you can remember your high school days with.
Diplomas are nice too, but tend to show their age. All in all, class rings are
worth their cost for the memories. I am sure a lot have been sold recently
for the gold, but are the couple hundred you might get worth the 12 years it took to get it? My class ring means more to me now than it did then.

Scott
3:42 PM, 11/7/2009

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I just had to smile when I saw this article. Class rings were a "must have" when I graduated from Garfield H.S. in '72. My Dad purchased the ring for me on the payment plan for a total cost of $50. I still have my ring and it has much sentimental value to me as a gift from Dad. Cost was not a factor, even back in the 70's.

Trish
2:24 PM, 11/7/2009

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That is a good story and price. It is too bad the cost of a ring is high as it is today. A lot of kids can not afford one. I bought my daughter one in 1996 at about 350.00 and hated to pay that for it. It now sits in a jewelry box. Such a waste of money.
A class ring is not really needed at all. My son did not want one, he was wise.

cost too much
7:06 AM, 11/7/2009

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